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During his time as an electrical engineering student at Stanford University in the late 1970s, L. Rafael Reif was not only pursuing his PhD but also acquiring a new language.
“I didn’t communicate in English. And I noticed that it was simple to overlook someone who struggles with English,” Reif reminisced. For him, that signified speaking with assurance.
“If you possess remarkable technical abilities, yet cannot convey your thoughts, and cannot influence others to accept those ideas, it won’t lead to progress. Without that synergy, you cannot convince those in power to adopt any concepts you present.”
Now the president emeritus of MIT, Reif recently participated in a fireside discussion with Anantha P. Chandrakasan, chief innovation and strategy officer and dean of the School of Engineering (SoE). Their discussion revolved around the significance of cultivating engineering leadership qualities — such as persuasive communication — to tackle the world’s most daunting challenges.
SoE’s Technical Leadership and Communication Programs (TLC) organized the dialogue. TLC imparts leadership skills in engineering, teamwork, and technical communication to learners at various stages, from undergraduates to postdoctoral researchers, via its four initiatives: Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program (UPOP), Gordon-MIT Engineering Leadership Program (GEL), Communication Lab (Comm Lab), and Riccio-MIT Graduate Engineering Leadership Program (GradEL).
Around 175 students, faculty members, and visitors gathered for the fireside discussion. Casual, interactive, and humorous — Reif recounted experiences and wisdom about technical leadership gleaned from his extensive tenure in leadership positions at MIT.
Reif profoundly impacted MIT. Starting as an assistant professor of electrical engineering in 1980, he eventually became the head of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), later serving as provost from 2005 to 2012 and as MIT president from 2012 to 2022.
He played a key role in founding the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing in 2018, as well as advancing and nurturing MITx online open learning and MIT Microsystems Technology Laboratories.
With an ability to look ahead and foresee what’s coming, Reif utilized a range of leadership skills to formulate and execute clear objectives for those programs.
“One of the insights that I gained from you is that as a leader, you must envision the future and make strategic decisions,” stated Chandrakasan. “You cannot merely wait for it to happen. You have to take initiative.”
Transforming new concepts into reality often required surmounting opposition. When Reif initially suggested the College of Computing to certain MIT leaders, “they stared at me and said, no way. This is too challenging. It’s not feasible. It will require too much funding. It’s overly complex. Thus began the debate.”
Reif appeared to take pleasure in “the debate,” or the art of convincing, throughout his tenure at MIT. Although hearing various perspectives was always beneficial.
“We all have blind spots. I consistently strive to understand all viewpoints. Naturally, you cannot incorporate all of it. You might say, ‘Anantha, I heard you, but I part ways with you due to this.’ Thus, you make the decision while considering all alternatives. That’s something non-technical that I applied in my career.”
On the technical front, Reif’s foundation as an electrical engineer influenced his leadership style.
“The beauty of a technical education lies in the realization that you can address any issue if you start from fundamental principles. There are foundational principles in virtually everything you undertake. By beginning with those, you can resolve any challenge.”
Moreover, applying systems-level thinking is vital — recognizing that organizations are indeed systems with interrelated components.
“That was incredibly beneficial to me. Some of you in the audience may have studied this. In a system, when you begin adjusting something here, something over there will be impacted. And you have to grasp that. At an institution like MIT, that happens all the time!”
Reif was asked: If he were to assemble a dream team to confront the world’s major challenges, what skills or abilities would he seek?
“I believe we need individuals who can view issues from diverse perspectives. We need individuals who are specialists in various fields. And we need individuals who have expertise in different cultures. Because to address the significant issues on our planet, we must understand how various cultures tackle different challenges.”
Reif’s upbringing in Venezuela deeply shaped his leadership philosophy, especially regarding empathy, a crucial quality he holds dear.
“My parents were immigrants. They lacked formal education and had to do whatever necessary to support our family. As a child, I recall witnessing how people degraded them due to their menial jobs. It was deeply painful for me. It is woven into my character to honor every individual, to acknowledge them. I have immense respect for each person and for those who didn’t receive the same opportunities we all enjoy here.”
Reif’s counsel to students poised to become the next generation of engineering leaders is to continue learning, as the challenges that lie ahead are multifaceted. He also reminded them that they are the future.
“What are our assets? The people in this room. Regarding the ecosystem of innovation in America, we strive to establish new pathways, broaden existing ones, and create new industries. Without that, we possess nothing. Companies excel at taking your ideas and transforming them into remarkable products. But the concepts, whether they relate to AI or deep learning, emerge from places like this.”
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